Latest News

Jessica Hume, National Bureau

Jun 12, 2014

, Last Updated: 5:57 PM ET

OTTAWA — The NDP will fight tooth and nail not to repay $1.17 million, which the House of Commons spending watchdog says the party owes.

The Board of Internal Economy investigated almost two million pieces of mail sent from the NDP to ridings in which it had no MPs. The board found the NDP broke the rules because the taxpayer-funded mailouts were partisan in nature.

Board spokesman and Tory MP John Duncan announced Wednesday the NDP owes $36,000 to the House of Commons and $1.13 million to Canada Post.

The NDP hired constitutional lawyer Julius Grey and will appeal to the Federal Court for a judicial review.

NDP spokesman Marc-Andre Viau said the party is fighting repayment because "this is a deeply flawed process."

"There was no due process, no proof, there were no witnesses," he said. "Liberals and Conservatives are hypocritically passing political judgment on the content of our mailings while conveniently refusing to study their own."